A/N: New format this time around. I'm probably going to do something like this for all of book 2, so let me know what you think about it.

It would be good to refresh yourselves on the events of chapter 1 and quantum mechanics for this chapter.

There are a couple of flashbacks in this chapter, denoted by the large blocks of italicized text.

Thanks again to my beta, iscreamdrizzle. Enjoy!


Chapter 29

Of Paradoxes

Despite the banality the word conjures, 'nothing' was actually a pretty interesting feeling…or lack thereof, he supposed. He wasn't floating in a sea of darkness or writhing in endless torment. There was no light to walk towards nor choirs singing. There wasn't anything. There was no light, but it wasn't dark. There was no sound, but it wasn't quiet. There was no heat, but it wasn't cold. He couldn't reach out to grab anything because, well, apart from there being nothing to grab, he had nothing to grab with.

Not only was there a dearth of external stimuli, but his mind provided no commentary on the situation either. It was as though the words for the feelings he should be having no longer existed. His mind was still aware, but there was just nothing to be aware of. Somehow, he knew this…absence…was not death, at least not truly. Death had a place and a being; there were neither of those here. Wherever herewas.

Slowly the realization dawned that he was literally nowhere. He was the cat in the box, caught at a node between two possibilities of existence where neither were possible. There was no way for him to have entered this place so, logically there was no way for him to escape. It was forbidden; he knew that. But knowledge did not foster concern. Just because a thing was forbidden, did not mean it could not happen. His whole life was supposedly 'forbidden', yet he existed and thrived, or at least he used to.


She didn't even watch Bobby walk away to what would probably be his death. She couldn't bear it. She hung her head, feigning fatigue at the small bit of power she'd just displayed. Truth be told, she felt more than a fair bit of shame. It had taken all of her willpower to admit her fault, and the resulting embarrassment crippled her far more than the magic. She'd faced so much guilt already, watching Bobby depart to face yet more danger for her sake while she sat there immobile was too much for Reyna.

So she looked away. She heard him trudge up the slope through the crusted snow, pausing at the opening she'd made in the fence. Her senses betrayed her desperate wish to let him walk away unnoticed. Absently, Reyna began stroking Percy's jet hair, hoping the intimate touch would focus her awareness. It didn't. She heard each footfall on the crunchy forest floor until she knew her mind was merely projecting the sound from her imagination. Slowly, she unwound her fingers from Percy's hair and took a deep shuddering breath.

"You've lived for thousands of years. Does it get any easier?" Reyna lifted her head to fix her deadened eyes on Phoebe. The Titan seemed to have no doubt as to what she referred when she sighed. It was the most genuine expression she'd heard the immortal give.

"No. But then, my family isn't exactly known for their sense of accountability." Reyna was treading on dangerous ground. Despite the obvious animosity between them, Reyna's new-found deference to the Hunter was only partially based on fear.

"Come on, we need to talk." Phoebe's gruff voice startled Reyna out of her contemplation of Bobby and the unicorns. In her mind, she'd been making up dialogue for the obviously strained discourse of which she could only comprehend one side. It was like watching an un-subbed Mexican soap opera with only a smattering Spanish at your disposal. She could understand bits and pieces, but filling in the rest from her somewhat off kilter imagination left her more amused than concerned. A bemused smile had stolen over her face only to be wiped clean by the stern demeanor of the Titan-turned-Hunter.

"So talk." Reyna didn't bother trying to hide her annoyance at Phoebe's intrusion.

"Not here." Despite the sorceress' most inquisitive look, the large girl merely spun on her heels and walked off up the continuously rising slope. Figuring she might finally get some answers, Reyna shrugged and followed. They walked in silence for several minutes, the afternoon air warming slightly and pressing down uncomfortably through her multilayered clothing. She'd begun to think the Hunter had been struck mute, when she finally stopped and turned. Bobby and the unicorns, Reyna noticed, were completely out of sight.

"So, why did you try to kill me?" Reyna had never liked to beat around the bush. It was one of the few parts of her personality that could have been considered honest. As such she saw no reason to change her forwardness on her path towards reconstruction.

"Because of your mother." Good, no dissembling on either end might actually make this conversation civil. At first, Reyna had wanted nothing more than to beat this girl's face into the ground, but knowing who she was, and how desperate there situation was, she realized that cooperation would have to take the place revenge. There was no way understanding and civility could exist if they kept secrets from each other.

"What did Trivia do to you?" True, her mother wasn't the most caring or dutiful parent in the world, but she hadn't seemed evil or malicious.

"Ugh, Romans," Phoebe scoffed.

"Get over it." It had been less than 8 hours since her conviction on non-existence of non-Roman demigods had been rattled and she was already sick of the proverbial line in the sand that separated her and Bobby from Phoebe and apparently Percy.

"Fine, but don't expect me to call her by her Roman name. She doesn't deserve it."

"What did she do?" Reyna tried to keep her voice as even as possible to counteract Phoebe's rising ire.

"She's a blood traitor!" She wracked her mind trying to remember her Greek history, but before Reyna could make the connection, Phoebe enlightened her. "Hecate betrayed her family and Zeus gave her everything! She has more power now than she did as a Titan."

"So you're just jealous of her power?" Now Reyna was starting to get annoyed; Bobby was right about immortals.

"Hardly," the Hunter scoffed. "Titans are power. Your mother betrayed us. Turned on her own family and sold us out. I will never forgive her for that."

"But…didn't you fight with the Hunters last summer? Against the Titans? What's the difference?"

"The difference is that I had no choice. I'm bound by the Styx to follow Artemis' orders. Hecate had no such compulsions." Phoebe's voice had morphed from anger to pleading, begging Reyna to understand her plight.

"You know, I am not my mother."

"You are precious to her, though. I could rip you from her. It's only fitting." Reyna was amazed Phoebe managed to keep still; the vitriol spewing from her was tangible.

"Wait, y-you loved her didn't you? You loved her and she turned against you."

"Of course I loved her! She was my favorite granddaughter!"


Long seconds after the gryphon's cry faded from the physical world, the fierce song continued to echo through Bobby's mind. The memory of that benediction both soothed and chilled his wild soul. Full of loneliness, it washed away his constant feeling of solitude through a sense of solidarity. The sound seemed to align his soul-link until he and Hazel were in perfect resonance. His memory of the raptor's call fueled that harmony until their minds melded completely.

"Bobby! W-where am I?" Hazel's silent voice burst through his mind in desperation, the disorientation of a week of unspeakable anguish heavy in her expression.

"Hazel! Gods, it's good to hear your voice…well, sort of." His conviction from earlier that afternoon resurfaced. If there was a better time, he couldn't picture it. "'Zel, come—"

"Bobs, it hurts! It hurts so much. Where are you? Why can't I see you?"

"Sshhh, I know," he soothed. Somehow he didn't really mind when she used the nickname. In fact, he kind of liked it. "I'm here. 'Zel, you need to listen to me. I don't think we have much time." The more he focused on Hazel the more tenuous his hold on her consciousness became. He knew his chance was fading.

"No, no I won't let you do this." The pain in her voice took on a glimmer of steel as she pushed his mind gently back. Bobby had forgotten that all their thoughts were being shared at the moment. As though waiting for his acknowledgement of the situation, a flood of Hazel's memories inundated his mind. At first he thought they were random, but the girl knew what she was doing. Every thought and memory that flashed before him were abouthim. Unbelievably strong feelings were attached to seemingly insignificant situations: a small smile after chomping through one of her cupcakes, his comic scowl at being bested yet again by an Apolline archer, the brush of fingers in the exchange of pegasus reigns. The feelings associated with these memories were those Bobby never anticipated anyone having towards him. Infatuation, lust, eventually love, and above all an unbreakable trust infused his mind along with a bountiful compassion that only a daughter of Pompona could conjure.

"Hazel, I—"

"No, Bobby, you share too much of this pain anyway. You will notsuffer in my place. What you will do is fix this." There was infinite conviction in her thought. "Plus, I have much better plans for your body than to be trapped inside it…" Her silent voice trailed off as she realized exactly what she'd said. If it were possible for a disembodied awareness to blush, she would probably have been a cherry. For his part, Bobby chose to let the comment pass. He'd already made up his mind about his feelings for this girl so the fact that she wanted to jump his bones was more of an ego boost than an embarrassment.

"But, just for a little while? 'Zel I can't stand it, knowing what you're going through and not being able to do anything about it."

"Bobs, this is my burden. Yours is to fix me. And I know you will because you always do." He wanted to ask her what she meant by that, but their shared consciousness was failing much faster now. As the fragments of his mind untangled from hers, he felt her agony returning in full force. "Ugh…t-time to go. I'll s-see you…when you…w-win."

"'Zel? 'Zel! Hazel!" Bobby cried, but she was already too far gone. "Just hold on a little longer," he muttered as he felt them separate. The onslaught of her nightmares still assaulted his senses, but the distance that allowed him to quarantine the transference had returned. He came back to his body to find himself still kneeling on the plateau, his hands splayed before him to support his grief wracked form. Bobby could tell their exchange had happened nearly instantaneously; the gryphon was still settling itself.

After a few brief moments of recovery, he lifted his head to see the gryphon's gaze once again locked with his own. In contrast to the searching stare that had nearly broken him a moment ago, the light of the fading twilight ignited the beast's black eyes with a calming acceptance. As he took in the impossibility sitting before him, the prophecy tugged at his memory. So much had happened he'd nearly forgotten its predictions.

With royal fiends by lunar afterglow.Well, if there were a more 'royal fiend' than this, he'd be hard pressed to name it. Jupiter's eagle and Juno's lion combined in one animal, the king of the sky and queen of the earth. With an inner smirk, Bobby noted how fitting it was that Juno got the ass-end of the beast.


The most interesting thing about living in a world of nothingness was the lack of interest. Revelations that would have normally generated strong reactions were received analytically. There was no panic at the memory that he had been shot. Neither did the recovery of all his lost memories elicit any triumph. These thoughts certainly suggestedthat he should feel something, but there was no impetus for the arousal of emotion.

Percy knew he should be concerned about Annabeth. She'd never been one to lose her head, or at least that was the impression she liked to give. But he knew better. He hadn't had time to tell her that he was leaving, and she was likely hysterical with worry. Just thinking of their first kiss under Mount St. Helens reminded him how concern for his well-being could drive her to unexpected histrionics. He should also have felt ashamed for his infidelity over the last couple days. After all, his indiscretion was the whole reason he was here. But because he washere and there was nothing he could do about it, the worry and shame were neutered.

Looking at the situation logically, there was no reason to think that Annabeth was still up in arms over his disappearance. There was a distinct possibility that Jason had recovered at least some of his memories. Just because Percy hadn't, at least in the real world, didn't mean his counterpart also hadn't. Jason. If there was a memory that could succeed in conjuring an emotional response in this void it was this one.

"Are you boys, quite finished?" Hera sounded exasperated.

Well, who cares, Percy thought. She's a bitch anyway.

"I heard that, Mr. Jackson." Hera admonished. "Now please, both of you must calm down and listen to what I have to offer you."

"Unless it's a muzzle for the Douche-bag of Rome over there, I don't wanna hear it." He couldn't explain it, but this Jason kid just rubbed him the wrong way. It didn't help that he looked a little bit like Luke and acted like Thalia. Normally Percy was level-headed enough to look past such superficial blemishes, but the dislike was almost instinctual.

"Perseus, that is enough!" Mega-bitch though she was, she was still a very powerful goddess. Percy managed to pull his attention away from Jason to look at Hera more clearly. What he saw shocked him into forced silence. She looked…exhausted. Her hair was disheveled and there were dark circles under her eyes. He'd seen plenty of people in worse shape than her, but this was a goddess. Immortals didn't get tired, at least not physically.

"You look terrible…" Percy's jaw dropped at Jason's slip of the tongue. For all his posturing about respecting the goddess, the kid had just sentenced himself to years of spiteful aggression. Percy had seen the destruction Hera could wreak first hand. Annabeth had been tormented mercilessly for less.

"Thank you, Mr. Grace." A sardonic grimace flashed across her face as she sighed before muttering to herself, "I don't even know why they bother." Hera kept her voice soft, but Percy, who was closer managed to ferret out her comment.

"You don't know why who bother doing what?" The goddess flicked him a look filled with momentary annoyance before wiping her face back to neutral.

"My family. As to the what, that is a bit more involved, but at least I have some visual aids for this lecture." She paused briefly while Percy and Jason exchanged a glance, confusion briefly erasing their rivalry. "Perseus, as you so boastfully pointed out a moment ago, your father is Poseidon."

"Um…yeah. I think I'm pretty clear on that part, thanks." Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Jason bristle again at his plainly disrespectful sarcasm. It gave him a sense of satisfaction to be able to rankle this kid so easily. Hera, apparently used to varying degrees of demigodly insolence, continued unfazed turning to look at Jason.

"You are the son of Jupiter."

"Yes, my Lady…" He halted, apparently unsure if he should continue. "Your husband." Percy noted the two words were spoken with a sense of almost dread. It had been over four years since he had taken Latin with Chiron, but something about the name Jupiter tugged at his memory along with Jason's apparent trepidation at being in the presence of Hera. Despite whatever negative reaction the kid expected, it certainly wasn't the almost warm smile she flashed him.

"Not exactly, young Praetor. Or rather, he is my husband, yet he is also not my husband." Percy was confused now.

"I thought Zeus was your husband."

"Of the two of you, Perseus is more correct at the moment."

"More correct?" Percy spluttered. "That doesn't make any sense, either he is or he isn't."

"If the paradox made sense, you would no longer be human and we would no longer be your gods," she explained cryptically. "That's the nature of religion, to explain the unexplainable through faith."

"Just one problem, I don't have any faith in the gods."

"Ah, but you do believe we exist, I assume." Kind of hard not to, all things considered. Percy nodded grudgingly as she smirked at her theological victory. "As did your Greek ancestors." Jason strangled a gasp that Percy didn't really understand, but the murderous eyes the purple-shirted pinhead fixed on him were easy enough to comprehend.

"You're supposed to be dead." An oversight his tone and demeanor seemed keen to remedy. Percy figured the only thing keeping him from pouncing was that they were still in a dream and ethereal mutilation just wouldn't be very satisfying.

"Um…sorry?" He still had no idea what Jason's problem was, but the level of his rage was almost comical. His eyebrows were actually twitching in fury. Percy didn't even try to hold it in when he barked a laugh at Jason's discomfiture. "Where did you find this guy?" He sobered under the level gaze Hera directed at him.

"His Roman ancestors also believed in the gods…Perhaps a bit more diligently than the Greeks." If either Hera or Jason thought the revelation of Jason's ancestry would elicit similar animosity from Percy, they were sorely disappointed. There just seemed to be no huge significance in Percy's eyes. Finally something clicked as he remembered something Chiron had said once in Latin class.

"That's why he called you Juno or whatever, and Jupiter is the same as Zeus." If it were possible, Jason's anger only increased at Percy's supposition. "Calm down, Sparky. I didn't mean to offend you." He did, actually.

"Jason, be still. This rivalry needs to end, and it is why you are here."

"Rivalry? What rivalry?" Percy was used to being the last one to the party, but he figured it was time to get some answers.

"Between Greeks and Romans," Jason answered, apparently much more knowledgeable on the situation than Percy. "We've been at war for millennia, but the Greeks were eradicated almost two hundred years ago. Or at least we thought they were. I assume you aren't the only one of your kind." He rounded on the goddess with a look of desperation. "Why were we not told? How could we not know!"

"I wish I could say we separated you for your own safety, but in truth it was mere selfishness." She didn't sound very remorseful. "Your constant wars were killing off all of our worshipers. Time and science had done enough damage already, without our only living believers demolishing each other. The Titans would have won long ago if we hadn't kept you apart. We don't like to admit that we need humans, but without worshipers we become obsolete and powerless. And you demigods had enough trouble dealing with monsters to keep you occupied."

Percy took this information in ecumenically. He'd never heard anything about this supposed war with another faction of demigods, and he had to agree that he'd had enough to deal with over the last few years without having to deal with that can of worms. There was no reason for him to feel any particular acrimony towards them. As far as he was concerned, the only obstacle to an end to hostilities was if all the other Romans were as supercilious and annoying as this Jason kid.

"So if we hate each other so much, why are we even having this powwow?" As he phrased the question, a nagging memory of the previous summer pulled at Percy. As if reading his thoughts, Hera turned to him in answer.

"The Great Prophecy." Son of a bitch! They couldn't have some time to kick back and relax? Not even one year?

"Damn it! Already?"

"Unfortunately, Perseus, history has a rather annoying way of repeating itself." There was none of the usual disdain in Hera's voice as she shifted her gaze between Jason and him. "The emerging threat is great and terrible a—and we need your help."

"Is this your great 'offer'? Begging us for help…again?"

"I am offering you both the chance to correct our greatest mistake. My family will never admit it but we were wrong. We separated you when we should have worked toward peace. It was inevitable that this day would return, and we need all of you for this task." Her suitably cryptic response actually eased Percy's mind. It was beyond unusual for an immortal to be as forthcoming as she had been moments ago. Her renewed obfuscation, infuriating though it was, seemed to restore a sense of order. "My offer is to give you the chance to save all of us, gods, demigods and mortals."

"What exactly are we saving the world from, my Lady?" The exasperation in Jason's voice caught Percy off guard. Perhaps this guy wasn't just a mindless sycophant.

"If you accept my proposition, you will find out along your paths. However, I can tell you it is a force far worse than Saturn and his minions. If you need proof, look at my prison." She gestured to the bar-like vines snaking up to a point above them. Jason looked around his expression visibly changing to one of grim resolve. Eventually his gaze locked with Percy's. Glory had never held much sway with Percy, and if he'd seen in the Roman's eyes merely the desire to further his own ambitions, he might have refused. But in that brief, silent interchange a mutual wish to protect those they cared about passed between them. Simultaneously they nodded to each other and turned to look at the weary face of the goddess before them.

"What do you want us to do?"

In the expository void of Percy's current state of nothingness, it was easy to judge that they had made the correct decision. Knowing the threat facing the gods and the world, it was clear the strongest demigods were needed to complete the quest outlined by the Great Prophecy. There was no doubt that Reyna would be included. He had never seen a more powerful mortal sorceress, but she had to sort out her issues before she could devote herself to the cause. Bobby was an interesting case. He was definitely unique, but not especially powerful so far as Percy had seen.

The biggest question was what their current quest had to do with the grand scheme of things. Despite the excellent conditions for analytical thought his current predicament had placed him in, Percy knew his cerebral limitations. He wasn't even sure what the actual goal of the quest was, other than simply finding a cure for Hazel and Roulette was not the true endgame. As he thought about it, the name he'd given the newborn pegasus seemed more and more appropriate. They were playing a giant game of roulette, and Percy felt like the ball flitting around the track. As he was now, he could do nothing but wait for the wheel to bounce him where it would.